Sanya Malhotra: After the first chappal was hurled while shooting 'Pataakha', Radhika and I didn’t speak to each other

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Sanya Malhotra: After the first chappal was hurled while shooting 'Pataakha', Radhika and I didn’t speak to each other

Bollywood films have shown various kinds of sibling bonds, ranging from full-of-love to love-hate. 'Pataakha', however, might be an aberration, as the hate between the two sisters seems to be overshadowing any love that might exist. Sanya Malhotra and Radhika Madan play two sisters who cannot stand each other and can be seen beating, kicking and slapping each other.
Seconds before we sit down to interview these two on-screen sisters who are supposed to loathe each other, they are watching a funny video together and singing songs. Despite the camaraderie between the two actresses off screen, the 'Pataakha' girls made sure that they hated each other on screen. Describing their first fight scene as yuddh ka aarambh, the actresses tell us how they took badla for every injury inflicted while shooting, the never-before-seen side of Rajasthan, and how Badki and Chutki seem to have taken over the two Delhi girls’ psyche. Excerpts:

Despite the rural setting, we see striking similarities between the girls of 'Pataakha' and urban girls. They party, smoke, etc – though it is beedi and not cigarette, and they do folk dance instead of pubbing. So, despite a non-urban setting, do you think girls from metros will be able to relate to them?

Sanya: I’m so glad you said that. Usually people say you guys are fighting and we haven’t seen anyone fighting like this. But, I’m from Delhi and I have an older sister. Though I don’t smoke, drink, or party, but I do fight like this with my sister. While growing up, we did have a similar relationship, where I used to absolutely hate her. So, there are similarities and I can tell you this film is not just about two sisters fighting.
Radhika: I think everyone will be able to connect to it, because sab apne bhai-behen se aise hi ladte hain. I have also tried all the WWE moves on my brother while growing up. So, people – whether they be in urban or rural setting – they will connect to them.

Radhika Madan as Badki in 'Patakhaa'

The trailer describes the two sisters as India-Pakistan – born of same mother but who hate each other. Did Vishal give you this example or brief while you were playing the sisters?Sanya: There is no reason why India and Pakistan are fighting. Similarly, there is no reason when two siblings fight. They fight about petty issues, and after a few days or months of fighting, they don’t even remember the reason. It’s there in our film. It starts and ends with it, but in a very subtle manner.
Radhika: But there was no brief. It was very subtly included. Vishal sir told us that during the writing when people would ask him, ‘yeh kyun ladti hain?’, in frustration, he asked, ‘India-Pakistan kyun ladte hain?’ He hadn’t thought of it but that’s when the angle came in.

You two were strangers before the shoot. So, from meeting for the first time to fighting in gobar, how has your equation changed?Radhika: I was a big fan of hers and I was very excited to meet her because mujhe laga she would be all Babita (her character in 'Dangal'). But, all my perceptions about her shattered when I met her and she said in her feeble, docile voice, ‘Hi, I am Sanya’. Like glass-shattering moment tha woh.
Sanya: I had an awkward first impression of hers. I thought, I would bore her during the course of the shoot or she would irritate me. She is an extrovert and I take time to open up. But then, we went to Ronsi, this village near Jaipur, for the shoot and prep, and we became really good friends. Earlier, I felt that me not liking her, which had happened initially, would help the character. I love her now, but I really thought it’s good for the character. But I was wrong. We couldn’t have done all those fight scenes had we not been friends. Else, it would have been awkward.

You have said that you two fought in gobar and actually slapped, punched, and kicked each other during the shoot. What went through your mind the first time it happened?Sanya: Our yudh ka aarambh was that chappal wala scene you see in the trailer. I was supposed to throw this very dirty chappal at her face and I was excited about it. I wanted to see how she would take it because I hadn’t told her how hard I would throw it. But when it happened, her reaction made me feel bad because she didn’t say anything. I thought ya toh ab ye offend hone wali hai, so I was a little hesitant speak to her. Lekin uske baad puri fight mein issne mujhe laate bhi maari jabki ye decide hua tha ki bas chaante maarne hain!
Radhika: Our reaction was very natural. I also really started enjoying it. After the chappal, mujhe laga arrey...
Sanya: (Interrupts) Par uska badla le liya na.
Radhika: Badla toh, of course, kyunki uske baad we were in a different zone altogether. Chappal padne ke baad, I didn’t speak to her, she didn’t speak to me, and we were in that zone and we continued that fight.
Sanya: Yeah...Camera on hote hi, we used to hate each other and it was very important. If we would have been laughing and joking off camera, toh mujhe nahi lagta hum kar paate.
Radhika: Par jaise hi shoot khatam hota tha, hum jaake ek dusre se puchte thay, ‘Tu theek hai?’

So how many injuries?Sanya: I had muscle spasm after the first fight because she kept hitting me on the same leg again and again. Mujhe lagta hai chappal ka badla liya gaya hai.

Sanya, were the fights in 'Pataakha' more visceral and difficult to shoot as compared to the wrestling bouts of 'Dangal'?Sanya: I would not want to compare both the fights. Ye toh bada freestyle hai, 'Dangal' bhi kaafi difficult tha, because that also required a lot of training – nine months of training, a lot of injuries. This one was fun and at the same time, you don’t know kab kya ho jaye. Bas ye hota tha ki face pe na lag jaye, ye aakhiri movie na ho (laughs).

Who did you study or how did you prepare to get the accent, the body language, and the physicality of the characters right?Radhika: We had a lot of readings with Vishal sir and Charan Singh ji (Charan Singh Pathik, the writer of 'Do Behnein', on which the film is based). But one thing that really helped me get the body language and accent right was visiting the village where it is set. We stayed at Charan Singh ji’s house for six-seven days. We spoke to the women there in their own dialect because they couldn’t speak Hindi. That really helped.
Sanya: For me, it is very similar to Haryanvi. A day before my auditions, Vishal sir called and asked, ‘Do you need any help with the dialect? I’ll rehearse the scenes with you’. I told him bahut confidence ke saath ki, ‘Sir, ye toh bahut Haryanvi se mel khati hai, mujhe koi problem nahi hogi.’ Sir ne kaha, ‘Achha, sunao fir’. Toh maine sunaya, and he agreed. Our sole purpose of going to Ronsi and doing readings was to get comfortable with the language. We got so used to it and that is why we were able to improvise on sets. Now we are so comfortable with the language that it is very difficult to get out of it.

So you basically buried the Delhi girls in you – Sanya, you are from south Delhi, Radhika is from Pitampura – for the roles. Was it difficult bringing that back?Radhika: The day I landed after wrapping up 'Pataakha', I had to do dubbing for another film. I thought ki voice thodi heavy aa rahi hai bas. I had to say ‘master money’ and I said (in a rustic tone) ‘Aey maasther’. The team was like, ‘Radhika, do you want to take it again?’ But I was like, ‘It was fine for me’. So they made me hear it. And then I hear, ‘Aey, maasther!’

The film shows a different Rajasthan, one that doesn’t have sand dunes, pagdis, and camels. Was it refreshing to see that and shoot in that space?

Sanya: It was very refreshing. Mount Abu is a beautiful place. Even the costumes that we are wearing are very different. It is a part of Rajasthan that we have never seen in Bollywood, ye language bhi maine nahi suni hai. Initially, we were supposed to wear the Rajasthani costume.

Radhika: I auditioned with that...

Sanya: But things changed when we went to Ronsi. The people there wear this beautiful attire which looks so different. Tabhi sir ko realise hua ki we should use this because Rajasthani costume has been used enough in films.

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